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Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber has admitted the club must address the anxiety problems threatening their Premier League title bid, despite securing a crucial 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
The win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday restored their five-point advantage over Manchester City, although Pep Guardiola’s men have a game in hand.
Playing the final 20 minutes against 10 men after Pedro Neto’s dismissal, Arsenal rode their luck, with David Raya making a crucial stoppage-time save and Liam Delap having a late equaliser disallowed for offside.
Timber, who scored the decisive goal, acknowledged the team's struggles with composure.
"You feel it, especially at the end. We stopped playing, which was unnecessary, especially when we had a man up," he stated.
"It’s something we need to work on, and talk about as well. It has happened a couple of times this season already. We got through it before but there have been couple of times we didn’t.
“It is part of the game, the energy within the players, the crowd, the anxiety. It’s something we need to address and talk about, but we handled it well today."
With nine league matches remaining, Arsenal travel to Brighton on Wednesday, aiming to move a step closer to ending their 22-year title wait, while also competing in the Carabao Cup final, Champions League and FA Cup.
Reflecting on the demanding schedule, Timber added: "From the beginning of the season every performance and every three points count.
“At the same time, I heard it is just nine games to go, but it feels like we are still so far off because we are playing in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
“There are so many games to play, and if we look too far ahead it becomes a bit too much. So for now, we recover and look at Brighton."